Application Services
Dex
Chkk coverage for Dex. We provide version recommendations, preflight/postflight checks, and Upgrade Templates—ensuring worry-free operations.
Coverage Matrix
| Chkk Curated Release Notes | v0.28.0 to latest |
| Private Registry | Supported |
| Custom Built Images | Supported |
| Safety, Health, and Readiness Checks | v2.35.0 to latest |
| Supported Packages | Helm, Kustomize, Kube |
| EOL Information | Available |
| Version Incompatibility Information | Available |
| Upgrade Templates | In-Place, Blue-Green |
| Preverification | Available |
Dex Overview
Dex is an open-source identity provider using the OpenID Connect (OIDC) protocol, allowing Kubernetes clusters and applications to delegate authentication to external services like LDAP, GitHub, Google, or Active Directory. It centralizes user logins and single sign-on, simplifying identity management across Kubernetes environments without embedding custom authentication logic into individual apps. Kubernetes API servers interact with Dex as an OIDC endpoint, obtaining JWT tokens containing identity claims and group data for RBAC policies. Deploying Dex enables consistent authentication policies, leveraging existing IdP infrastructure for multi-factor authentication and centralized identity governance.Chkk Coverage
Curated Release Notes
Chkk curates official Dex release notes, emphasizing new features, breaking changes, or critical updates directly relevant to your Kubernetes authentication environment. It flags impactful changes such as stricter LDAP validations, new connector APIs, or storage schema updates. Platform engineers receive targeted, contextual summaries to avoid surprises during upgrades. Even subtle changes like updated token algorithms or TLS configurations are clearly communicated, ensuring operational continuity.Preflight & Postflight Checks
Chkk performs preflight checks to confirm your cluster meets Dex’s upgrade requirements, validating Kubernetes API server settings, CRD compatibility, and connector configurations. Deprecated settings or incompatible connector configurations are identified in advance, enabling proactive remediation. Postflight checks verify Dex’s health, confirm successful connector initializations, and perform test authentication flows against the Kubernetes API server. This thorough validation helps detect and address upgrade-related authentication issues quickly.Version Recommendations
Chkk continuously monitors Dex’s release lifecycle and security advisories, alerting you when your deployed version nears end-of-life or becomes vulnerable. Version alerts include context on critical patches, known vulnerabilities, and compatibility with your Kubernetes cluster version. Chkk provides concrete upgrade recommendations, balancing stability, compatibility, and security requirements. This proactive approach prevents security gaps and minimizes disruptive forced upgrades.Upgrade Templates
Chkk offers structured Upgrade Templates for Dex, supporting both in-place updates and blue-green deployments. Templates include clearly documented steps to update Dex container images, validate readiness, and safely manage persistent storage. For blue-green deployments, the templates outline deploying parallel Dex instances, testing functionality, and gracefully transitioning clients. This structured guidance ensures smooth upgrades and straightforward rollback procedures integrated into your CI/CD or GitOps workflows.Preverification
Preverification by Chkk simulates Dex upgrades in isolated environments, replicating your configuration and connectors. Automated tests validate server startup, connector functionality, and successful OIDC authentication flows before production deployment. This simulation uncovers issues like stricter configuration validations, connector errors, or compatibility problems, providing an opportunity to resolve them safely. Preverification ensures high confidence in Dex upgrades, significantly reducing risk.Supported Packages
Chkk integrates seamlessly with common Dex deployment methods, including Helm charts, static Kubernetes manifests, and Kustomize. It recognizes standard configurations and handles custom or vendor-specific Dex builds hosted in private registries. Chkk’s recommendations are tailored to your deployment approach, outputting precise configuration diffs compatible with your existing management tools. This flexibility ensures Dex version management fits seamlessly into your existing DevOps practices.Common Operational Considerations
- Issuer URL Mismatch: The Kubernetes API server’s
--oidc-issuer-urlmust exactly match Dex’s configured issuer URL. Any discrepancy causes token rejections without explicit errors. - Certificate Trust: Dex must serve HTTPS using certificates trusted by the Kubernetes API server. Incorrect or expired certificates result in rejected tokens.
- Connector Errors: Connector outages or misconfigurations lead to failed user authentications. Monitor Dex logs for connector errors and maintain redundancy for critical connectors.
- Session Storage: Ephemeral storage results in lost sessions upon Dex restarts or upgrades. Use persistent storage (e.g., PostgreSQL, Kubernetes CRDs) to retain user sessions.
- High Availability: Multiple Dex replicas must share consistent backend storage and may require sticky sessions. Misconfigured HA setups risk token validation issues.
- Break-Glass Access: Maintain alternative emergency credentials independent of Dex to prevent lockouts during Dex outages. Regularly validate this access method.